Car construction.



'W. A. S TEARNS. OAR CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 23, 1912. 1,088,739.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. g

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

W. A. STEARNS. OAR CONSTRUCTION. APPLIUATION nun 11116.23, 1912.

I PH I I hI h IJHJI D P HIJU UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER A. STEARNS, OF HAMMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN STEELFOUNDRIES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CAR CONSTRUCTION.

To all whom it may com-em I Be it known that I, IV ALTER A. S'rnAuxs, acitizen ofthe United States, residing at Hammond, in the county of Lakeand State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useiul Improvementsin Car Construction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates tothe uiulerframing of. railway cars and hasparticular reference to a novel draft arm for use in connection withwooden center sill ears. My invention is applied to a draft arm similarto that shown and described in patent to Crawford, No. 915,272. It hasbeen found in 'service'that while center sills are strengthenedmaterially by the addition of a draft arm having the chord extendingover the body bolster and in contact with the center sills, the tendencyin such construe tion is to become broken or distorted at a point abovethe body bolster due to the fact that the component of' the buffingstress must be resolved into a vertical and then subsequently ahorizontal component in order that the blow may be transferred to apoint to the rear of the body bolster. To offset this condition I haveconnected the draft arm at points to the front and rear of the bodybolster with a strain receiving member whereby the component of theforce directed against the draft arm in a horizontal direction isunchanged to a point to the rear of said bolster.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein- I Figure 1 is a side elevation of adraft arm constructed in accordance with my invention, the bolster beingshown in section; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the two draft arms and thebody bolster, the ends of the bolster being broken off and Fig. 3-is asection on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring more pa ticularly to the drawings, it will be seen that Iemploy two draft arms which are duplicates except that one is right" andthe other left hand. These draft arms are composed of forward portions10. which are secured to the end sill of the car, integral side plateshaving lugs 11, 12, 13 'thereon, an upwardly projecting Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

Application filed August'23. 1912. Serial No. 716,593.

chord 14 extending above and to the rear of the body bolster 15. Therear end portion of the chord H- has a downwardly projectmg web 16 in aplane corresponding to the integral side plate within which the draftrigging received. The body bolster'is provided with through openings 17in line with the draft rigging pocket and the downwardly projecting web10. Heavy plates 18 are projected through the opening 17 in the bodybolster and are securely riveted to the web 16 and the draft riggingpocket. This provides a connection in the line of draft to a point tothe rear of the body bolster. It necessarily follows that such platemust be detachable inasmuch as the draft arm could not be associatedwith an integral bolster in any other manner. In practice. the draft armwith the side plate 19" detached is placed in position, the side platesare then inserted through the body bolster and riveted.

The two wooden center sills 19 of a car are adapted to lie snuglyagainst the chord 14, the part 1-1 being preferably of channel shape, asshown in Fig. 3, with the 'web of the channel resting against the woodensills. The downwardly projecting part 16 is provided with astrengthening web-or rib 20 which acts as a stiffening means.

It will be obvious that modifications may be made in the exact structureherein described and such modifications as are in the scope of my claimsI consider within the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a railway car, the combination of an underframe including woodencenter sills, a bolster having an aperture therethrough, a draft armhaving a portion extending above and to the rear of said bolster, saiddraft arm having portions at the front and rear of the bolster and inhorizontal alinement with the opening therethrough, and a plateprojecting through the opening in said bolster and riveted to said draftarm at the front and rear of the bolster, substantially as described.

2. In a railway car, the combination of a center sill and an aperturedbody bolster, of a draft arm having a draft rigging receivin'g portion,an integral truss extending are transmitted to the rear of said bodybolabove and t0 the rear of said bolster, said ster in a direct linewith the linerof buif,

truss being provided with a dow'nwafrdly substantially as described.

projecting portion to the rear of said body WALTER A; STEARNS. bolster,and means connecting said down- Witnesses:

wardly projecting portion and said draft G. W. H. THOMAS,

rigging receiving portion whereby stresses F. SKEER.

Gomez: of this patent may be obtained for five cents eacli, byaddressing the Qommimioner of Patents,

' wmhington, D. C.

